Call for Expanded Rail Network to Cut Road Insecurity, Urge FG to Boost NRC’s Funding
Members of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Kaduna, have commended the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) for what they called a remarkable transformation under its Managing Director, Doctor Kayode Opeifa, urging the Federal Government to increase investment in rail services.
The praise came aboard a packed Abuja-to-Kaduna train filled with NIPR delegates heading to the institute’s Annual General Meeting at Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Murtala Square, Kaduna where State chapters from across the country, particularly the South, mobilised members to converge in Abuja and travel together by rail.
The journey turned into an impromptu networking session, with professionals reconnecting after last year’s AGM in Uyo, Akwa Ibom.
Passengers hailed NRC staff service as “highly impressive,” adding that “with the right management, Nigerians are ever ready to give their best.”
Lagos NIPR’s Chairman Doctor, Samuel Ayetutu, said chapters were urged to board the train to Kaduna to show support for reforms at NRC and avoid road insecurity.
He called on the Federal Government to sustain NRC funding and expand rail connections nationwide as a safe alternative to road travel.
The Olumobi of Imobi-Ijesha, Osun State, Oba Doctor Jacob Haastrup, also praised President Bola Tinubu for appointing Opeifa, saying he had shown the NRC’s potential as a catalyst for economic development within a year in office.
Also, NIPR’s members appealed for more federal investment in NRC, arguing that funds would be recouped quickly due to high public trust in rail services.
They warned that Nigerians would be “disappointed” if the government fails to fund the capital-intensive maintenance rail required.
Dignitaries on board included the Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria President, Tony Akiotu, Dr. Mohammed Kudur Abubakar, Chairman of the World Public Relations Conference Planning Committee; Ambassador Deborah Grace Awatte, and NIPR state Chairmen Doctor Manasseh Umoette (Akwa Ibom), Doctor James Wisdom Abholimen (Edo), Doctor Ebiwari Wariowei (Bayelsa), and Doctor Onyedikachi Stanley Onovo (Enugu), among others.
The NRC delegation was led by Chief Public Relations Officer Callistus Unyimadu and SA to the MD on Media and Communication, Yinka Aderibigbe.
The NIPR conference runs through Friday, April 24, 2026, and will expose image managers to new industry practices.
Organisers said the Kaduna Annual General Meeting is a dress rehearsal for Nigeria’s hosting of the World Public Relations Conference in Abuja, this November, where global practitioners would address repositioning Public Relations amid emerging challenges.
